Wilton Speech Therapist Wins RVNA Rehab Therapist Nightingale Award

The Ridgefield Visiting Nurse Association (RVNA) is pleased to announce that speech and language pathologist Cheryl Moyer-Rafferty is the winner of RVNA’s annual Rehab Therapist Nightingale Award, which recognizes excellence in rehabilitation therapy within the agency.  Also known informally as a speech therapist, Moyer-Rafferty sees every patient with a need for a speech evaluation and/or on-going speech therapy in all 27 Connecticut towns served by RVNA.  Moyer-Rafferty was nominated by her co-workers for this special honor.  She has been a member of the RVNA rehabilitation therapy staff for two and a half years.

RVNA honors one rehabilitation therapist each year with the Rehab Therapist Nightingale Award.  The award is presented to an RVNA physical therapist, occupational therapist, or speech therapist who consistently provides the highest levels of compassionate, responsive, state-of- the-art quality care to his or her patients.

                RVNA President and CEO Theresa Santoro said, “Cheryl is such a deserving winner of this award.  Across RVNA, she is known as the clinician who has incredible assessment skills and who will bring in RVNA clinicians in other disciplines to provide her patients with the highest level of care.  She visits her patients at breakfast, lunch or dinner to assess swallowing skills or related issues.  Cheryl leaves no stone unturned to assure that every patient receives exceptional care, every time.”

                According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (www.asha.org), speech therapy is an important part of the recovery process for patients who have had injuries, accidents, adverse health events, or are diagnosed with certain chronic illnesses.  Damage to the nervous system can cause swallowing disorders and is often seen in patients who have had a stroke,  or are suffering from Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or Alzheimer’s disease, to name a few.  Problems affecting the head and neck, such as cancers of the mouth, throat, or esophagus, or surgery in that area, can also cause swallowing disorders, as can decayed or missing teeth, or poorly fitted dentures.  Patients with motor speech disorders and communication disorders often benefit from the therapy provided by a speech and language pathologist.

                Moyer-Rafferty holds a BA degree in English and Communication Studies from the University of Connecticut.  She also holds a MS degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology from Southern Connecticut State University.

                Moyer-Rafferty treats patients throughout the RVNA service area, which covers most of Fairfield County, southern Litchfield County, and parts of New Haven County.  She is a resident of Wilton, Connecticut.

 

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Submitted by Wilton, CT

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